Actress Selma Blair announced Thursday that she is making a documentary about antisemitism, a project that follows the professional fallout from a 2024 social media comment she has said she regrets. The Selma Blair Hineni documentary was revealed at the Anti-Defamation League’s State of the Arts Reception at The Jewish Museum in New York on Oct. 1.
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What the Selma Blair Hineni documentary will be
Blair said “Hineni,” a Hebrew word that translates to “Here I am,” will let her say what she could not say two years ago. According to Deadline, she told the audience that the opposite of being erased is making something, and that she had decided to make a film.
In the ADL’s published text of her remarks, Blair said the film goes to Israel so viewers can see why the land is not an abstraction to her community. She also said the documentary will feature a range of perspectives and that she is working with the ADL on messaging and resources to counter antisemitism in the arts.
No release date, distributor or premiere window for the Selma Blair Hineni documentary has been announced. Blair has described the film as aimed at people who were not in the room, which suggests a wider audience than the industry event where she spoke.
The ADL summary of the event also said Blair stressed the need to protect emerging artists from having their careers erased over a single statement. She contrasted the consequences she faced with the limited repercussions she said others have met after making anti-Israel remarks, a comparison that is her own characterization and not an independently verified one.
The 2024 comment behind the announcement
In February 2024, Blair replied to an Instagram post about two members of Congress who voted against legislation tied to the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel. Her reply attacked Muslims and called for deportations, and it drew widespread criticism. Fox News reported that she apologized right away.
At the reception, Blair said she meant the apology and would not delete the comment. She said the post was the occasion for what followed, not the reason, and that the comment was not the real story.
She described a rapid professional collapse. Fox News reported that within about a day she lost her agency, lawyer and publicist, along with a book agent, a book publicist and a social media manager. Brand partnerships, including a Super Bowl advertising deal, were shelved, according to the same report. Blair said the phone simply stopped ringing.
A shift from her earlier documentary
Blair previously appeared in the Discovery+ documentary “Introducing, Selma Blair,” which followed her multiple sclerosis diagnosis. She contrasted the two projects, saying the earlier film was about her body, while this one is about her people.
The announcement comes as Blair stays busy in other projects, including a role in a mystical Purim film. Readers interested in Jewish culture and the arts can also see our coverage of the National Jewish Book Award winners.
What to watch for next
Blair’s remarks raise a larger question the ADL also highlighted: how the entertainment industry treats artists after a single public misstep. Whether the film addresses her own comments directly has not been disclosed.
The Selma Blair Hineni documentary is still in development, and its timeline, funding and distribution remain unknown. For now, the announcement and the ADL’s published remarks are the main public record of the project. The full text of her remarks is available on the ADL website.
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